Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Yellow-rumped Warbler in the rain...

I photographed this Yellow-rumped Warbler in May of 2012 at Magee Marsh during theBiggest Week in American Birding.It was spitting rain that day, but the overcast skies and raindrops made the woods look greener and more lush, and the diffused light cast a beautiful softness over the marsh I'm glad I didn't miss. This little Yellow-rumped Warbler was not close, but he was busy and fun to watch as he looked for insects among the raindrops. He wasn't attracting much attention from admirers along the boardwalk. In the birding world, he's not one of the "heavy hitters," but I liked him just fine. His colors were gorgeous in the soft light, and his song was cheerful. I watched him as he worked his way methodically through a tree looking for food and brightening my day. (I can't wait to head up to Magee this year for a whole week of warblers!!)

My Camera and Lenses

I hand hold the camera for all my photos (I used to use a monopod or tripod for distance and macro, but the VR lenses don't seem to require it). I crop the images down in Aperture (I'm a Mac).

The Story Behind "Red and the Peanut"

Red and the Peanut is named after my first bird memory. When I was about six, I was at my Great Aunt Mary's house and she was telling me about Red and the peanut. "Red" was a Northern Cardinal that had trained Aunt Mary to feed it peanuts on demand. Since Aunt Mary's "Red" started it all, what better name could I choose?